Reading Notes: Robin Hood, Part A

Notes for The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child

Robin Hood statue, Nottingham Castle, England (source: Wikimedia).

"Progress to Nottingham"

• Robbin Hood
• Characteristics 
• Tall 
• Young (fifteen)
• Bold/courageous 
• Goes to Nottingham 
• Dines with fifteen Forresters 
• Drinks wine, ale, and beer 
• Hears of a shooting competition put on by the king 
• The Forresters doubt him because he is young
• Robin bets twenty marks that he will hit a bulls-eye 
• The men do not pay him 
• He shoots all of them?
• "Then Robin Hood hee bent his noble bow, And his broad arrows he let flye, Till fourteen of these fifteen forresters Vpon the ground did lye."
• Claims the Forrester's wives would love him 

"The Ranger"

• Phoebus 
• Refers to the sun 
• Robin Hood 
• Comes out when the sun melts ice in the spring 
• Leaves his men 
• Wants to journey to kill a fat buck 
• The deer belong to the king 
• Does not agree with leaving the king's deer alone 
• Claims the forest is his and, therefore, the deer are, too 
• The Forrester tries to challenge Robin 
• "The very first blow that the forester gave,
He made his broad weapon cry twang;
’Twas over the head, he fell down for dead,
O that was a damnable bang!"
• "But Robin soon did recover himself, And bravely fell to it again; The very next stroke their weapons were broke, Yet never a man there was slain."
• Robin just fights everyone?
• "Bold Robin he gave him very hard blows,
The other return'd them as fast;
At every stroke their jackets did smoke,
Three hours the combat did last."
• He claims the main man he fought was the best he'd known 
• Little John 
• Leader of the Forresters 
• Gloriously dressed 
• "'Lo, these are my yeomen,' said Robin Hood,'And thou shalt be one of the train;
A mantle and bow, a quiver also,
I give them whom I entertain.'"
• Robin Hood joins the Forresters
• Everyone celebrates 
• Quoth he, 'My brave yeomen, be true to your trust, And then we may range the woods wide: They all did declare, and solemnly swear, They’d conquer, or die by his side.'"